Art of dried starch bearing food



. cooked potatoes.

Patented July 4, 1944 Q No Drawing. Application mm 1, 1m, so ll'lslg zNo. 425,339. In on Britain mm- 14.

8 Claims.

Among the objects of the present invention are the production oi farinaceous starch containing vegetable product in dry powder form' .with the preservation therein unaltered, of all of the various water soluble and other ingredients and the removal only of the water, i. e., substantially all of the free water that is present in the natural product 'and in its most advantageous application, the invention has as an obiect the preparation of a dry powder of potatoes from which mashed potatoes or potato puree indistinguishable in character and taste from the conventional properly cooked dish, may be prepared almost instantly by the mere stirring or the .powder into hot milk or water or mixtures thereof, bouillon or other potableliquid. v

The present application is a continuation in cooked. The cookingis performed in a double walled vessel. desirably in the absence of water. Desirably, the heat is generated by circulation of boiling water throughthefhollow jacket oi. the

vessel and no pressure being built up in thelacket. thetemperature or .the contents will be maintainedsubstantially at 100 degrees C. Thevessel is desirably predicated before the potato pieces are introduced therein, so that the water vapor promptlypassing on the potatoes in the heating will aiford an environment substantially excluding oxygen, and the blackening o! .the peeled potatoes incurred in some cases by contact with the air is avoided.

During about a half oi the cooking process,

1 the vessel is substantially closed, so as to depart of my copending applications, SerialNo.

234,261, filed October 10, 1938, and Serial No. 254,739, filed February 4, 1939. I

As conducive to a clear understanding of the invention, it is noted that inreducing potatoes to powder, concurrent heating and agitationleads to gelatinization of the This entails the mechanical diilicultyof adhesion to the. drying surfaces. But what is much more serious, the

resultant dry powder, when stirred into hot liquid to prepare the mass for consumption, yields a product that lacks the properties of freshly The product is glutinous or pasty and has neither. theodor nor the taste oi potato puree or mashed potatoes,.but is quite unpalatable.

According to the present invention, predrying is resorted to under heat and without agitation to reduce the water content of the potatoes to extent such as to permit thev subsequent drying in water.

operation to be performed under heat and vigorous agitation without the danger of the mass becoming gelatinous. Yet suilicient water is present at the stage of. reducing the massto a moist powder after predrying to avoid alteration in the structure oithe starch and to avoid the consequent thickening -or nastiness oi the end product upon the subsequent addition of hot liquid in preparing the dish for consumption. At the commencement of that later stage of drying where in additionto some heat, vigorous agitation is required for further removal of water from the moist powder, too little water remains to promote gelatinization of the starch.

velop slight steam pressure to thoroughly penetrate the potatoes. Thereupon, the vessel is opened slightly, or it ispermitted to open under pressure, for more direct communication with the surrounding air, and escape oi water vapor from the potatoes. During the cooking operation, the potatoes maybe stirred ever so slightly, to assure more uniformity of heat application thereto.

It will be noted that the potatoeslose water in the operationset forth, as distinguished from the gain of water incurred in cooking by conventional processes. What is more important, the potatoes do not lose .valuabie water-soluble ingredlents. suc assu srsusalts and albumens which are commonly leached out when cooking The potato pieces now pre-dried preparatoryto subdividing them into a moist powder;

This pre-drying operation is carried on until the potato mass has been reduced .to about one-half its initial weight by loss of water. In this predrying operation it is important to avoid excessive agitation or pressure upon the potatoes. Subject to this precaution the pre-drying may -.be conducted under controlled heatprei'erably,

though not necessarily, with the application of vacuum.

'In a specific method for the preparation of potato powder, the potatoes are washed, peeled and cut into pieces, which may be approximately a cubic inch or less in size and they are then Where vacuum pro-drying is resorted to may be carried on inthe same cylinder in which the-cooking is done. For this purpose the cylinder is hermetically sealed, the further applica-- tionof heat is discontinued andv the vacuum is applied while the potato 'pieces are stirred gently from time to time. In this manner, a substantial quantity of water is withdrawn from the potatoes while they are cooling. By the time the potatoes have cooled down to to degrees 0. they will have lost approximately 20 to 30 per cent. of their weight.

At this stage, cool water may be passed through the hollow jacket of the cylinder to bring the potatoes down to a still lower temperature of about degrees C., and a higher vacuum is applied so as to reduce the weight of the potatoes by approximately a further per cent of the weight of the untreated potatoes. It is important that the potatoes be cooled to the temperature noted before such higher vacuum is applied, and that the stirring be very gentle, as otherwise the mass has a tendency to become pasty or glutinous and to be rendered unfit for the desired purpose.

Alternatively the cooked potato pieces may be predried without vacuum, preparatory to reducing the same to the moist powder. In such operation, they are desirably laid in a suitable .dryer through which is passed a current of air, not necessarily completely dried air, which is heated to desirably about 50 degrees C. During such pre-drying' operation, the potatoes are frequently or constantly moved, but not subjected to mechanical pressure. After this pro-drying treatment cooling may be effected in the same dryer by passing cool instead of warm air therethrough.

The step following the pre-drying above set forth, whether performed with or without vacuum is mechanically to convert-the mass into a moist powder. Before this is done, it is desirable to cool the same down furtheras by exposure to the open air, if the climate is sufficiently cold, or by pre-chilled air. At a temperature preferably not higher than ten degrees C. the mass may be subjected to mechanical pressure to convert it to a light moist powder without rendering it pasty. The mechanical comminution may be effected desirably by passing the potato pieces through an appropriate mill, as for instance, of the helical rotor type or through a machine similar to those commonly used for almond grinding. Inthis subdivision by pressure, the structure of the starch ingredient remains unaltered, for the cell walls have been rendered firm in the cooling and this apparently precludes the mass from becoming pasty. There is still so much water present in the mass, however, that the structure of the starch remains unaltered in this mechanical treatment, so that there is no danger of the product losing the properties of freshly made mashed potatoes when hot fluid is subsequently added in preparing the fin ished powder for consumption. Yet by reason of the fact that about 50 per cent of the water has been removed, there remains too little water for the mass to become glutinous and the resultant molst powder will, therefore, not adhere together. Nor will such glutinous or adhesive property develop in the subsequent heating and vigorous agitation for. removing further water from the moist powder.

The moist powder is now subjected to the final drying operation, desirably in the same cylinder used in the pre-drying. This operation is desirably conducted under moderate heat, desirably at about degrees C., under vacuum and with vigorous stirring, in which operation water passes off quite rapidly from the moist powder preferably until the powder has only about 12 to 15 per cent of water content.

The powder prior to the final drying noted is fairly bulky, its specific gravity being only 0.5 to 0.6. In the rapid loss of water in this final drying process, the volume of the powder shrinks rapidly. Where initiallythe cylinder is 25 to' 30 per cent filled with the moist powder, the content shrinks down to less than 10 per cent. The last 5 to 10 per cent moisture evaporate much more slowly. Accordingly, it is feasible and desirable to collect the contents of several cylinders into one cylinder and to heat the latter say to 30 degrees C., and to apply strong vacuum, further to reduce the water content down to 6 to 10 per cent. That 6 to 10 per cent of water is apparently substai'itially water' of constitution and any attempt to remove it would be useless.

For, at that stage the powder is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture rapidly from the air 'to reach a moisture content of about 10 per cent.

It is desirable throughout to keep the temperature moderate as noted, as higher temperature, especially in the drying of the moist powder results in a dark product.

If the process is carried on in the ideal manner, there should be no coarse particles in the potato powder. However, in practice, if the predrying should not be carefully performedrthat is, if the agitation in the'drying of the moist powder is not as vigorous as it should be, or if the pre-drying is excessive, a considerable proportion of coarser grains may result.

By reason of their low water content, these coarser grains must not be ground, as grinding would alter the structure of the starch, so that the addition of hot liquid in preparing the dish for consumption would result in an unpalatable pasty mass.

The powder is, therefore, preferably passed through a sieve'of about 45 mesh so as to separate such coarser particles and to allow only the fine particles to pass through.

The coarser grains may be reclaimed by softening them again. This is preferably done by mixing them with the cooked potato pieces. The coarser grains are preferably mixed in the proportion of one part thereof to from one to two parts of the cooked potato pieces. After mixture of the cooked potatoes (which are preferably first mashed), with the coarse dry grains, the mass is pressed together and left undisturbed for some time in a 0061 environment to permit moisture from the moist pieces to penetrate the relatively drier coarser particles. The process is continued as heretofore described for the final drying of the moist powder, the coarser grains becoming reduced to the desired powder.

In commercial practice, the result set forth in the previous paragraph may be attained in continuous operation, by introducing the cooked potatoes, preferably in mashed condition, into the cylinder in which the final drying is effected. That is, as part of the dried potato powder is withdrawn from the vacuum cylinder, a larger volume of such moist potato mash is added thereto. By reason of the avidity of the dried powder in the vacuum cylinder for moisture, the latter spreads promptly from the moist mash throughout the dried potato mass, so that the water content of the entire mixture is about 50 per cent and the vigorous agitation and heat applied in the continued drying process as above set forth, will not render the potato mass gelatinous. In a specific illustrative example, assuming that the vacuum drying cylinder has pounds of dried potato powder therein, with but 10 per cent water content, 100 pounds of the moist potato mash with say 70 per cent of water content could be added thereto after the withdrawal of 25 pounds of the dried potato powder. Thus, of the content of pounds now in the cylinder, 77.5 pounds will be water and th rest solid, so that the water content about 45* per cent. .That w content, as. above. noted, is su'iiiciently low to avoid gelatinisation in the vigorous agitation required for further removal oi water;

The powder produced by the foregoing process has all of the solid ingredients whether soluble or not, of the original potato, whichls altered only in the withdrawal therefrom of substantially all of the water, except such small. proportion of water which may be truly said to be water of constitution. The powder has-a weight of only 15 to 18 per cent of that of the raw potato. so that its aflords great economy in shipping and storage space. a

To prepare mashed potatoes from the powder, it is merely necessary to heat water, milk, or a mixture of water and milk, tofnear the boilingpoint in an ordinary pot or pan, to remove the asses-1o f haltdue to the lolsoi'water. cooling the potato masstoatemperaturemtheorderot lu degrees Gandmechanicallyconvertingthesame intoa moist powder and'iinally drying the moist powder under moderate heat and vigorous stirring in .vacuo, until the water content oi! the powdered potatoes is down toabopt 12 to 15 per cent.

4. The processor preparing potatoesgin pow R dered form, which includes all oil the constituent elements of the potato other than water and which is capable of being converted into mashed potatoes by the simple addition of hot liquid, which process consists in cooking potato pieces in an environment-{of steam at a temperature of source or heat and gradually to add toone part I of the powder aboutilve parts of hot water, milk,

or a mixture of both, or bouillon, or other potable liquid, while stirring, until the mass reaches the thick consistency of mashed potatoes, an operation that takes but a minute or so, andthe product is ready for consumption. The fact that the powder will take up to five times its weight of fluid in producing thicir'mashed potatoes, is an indication of the extent to which the water had been withdrawn by the process set forth.

As many changes could be made in the above temperature in the order of '10 degrees C. and

method, and many apparently widely dlilerent embodiments of this invention could be 'made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, shall be interpreted as illustratlve and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byletters Patent of the United States is:

I. The process of preparing iarinaceous starch containing vegetable material which consists in cooking the same in an environment of steam evolved from the heating of the said material, pre-drying the same in the absence of mechanical pressure thereon, until the moisture content has been reduced to about half the initial weight of the material, cooling the same to a temperature in the order of 10 degrees C., mechanically re- -moderate heat, under-vacuum and with vigorous agitation.

3; The process of preparing potatoes in powdered form, which includes all of the constituent elements of the potato other than water and which is capable of being converted into mashed potatoes by the simple addition of hot liquid, which process consists in-cooking potato pieces in an environment of steam at a temperature of substantially 100 degrees 0., thereupon pre-drying thepotato pieces in the absence of mechanical pressure thereon until the initial weight of the potato mass has been reduced by about oneducing the same to a moist powder and thereupon continuing the drying under moderate heat, under substantially 100 degrees C. and thereupon applying vacuum, while permitting the potatoes to cool until approximately to per cent of the original weight has been lost due to the evaporation of water, thereupon substantially cooling the potatoes and applying a higher vacuum for loss of approximately 25 per cent more of the original weight, cooling the potato mass to a mechanically converting the same into a moist J powder and finally drying the moist powder under moderate heat and vigorous stirring in vacuo, until the water content of the powdered potatoes is down to about 12 to 15 per cent.

5. The process of preparing potatoes in powdered form, which includes all of the constituent elements of the potato other than water and which isacapable of being converted into mashed potatoes by the simple addition of hot liquid, which consists in withdrawing water from pieces or peeled potato by asequence or steps including.

the application oi! heat at a temperature of 100 degrees C., the application of vacuum while cooling to degrees to 0 degrees 0., the cooling to a temperature of about 20 degrees C., the application of a higher vacuum, the mechanical subdivision of the. potato pieces into a moist powder with about half the initial weight of the potato mass, the application of further moderate heat under vacuum and vigorous agitation to dry the powder to a water content of about 15 per cent by weight, and the final application of moderate heat and vacuum to reduce'the water content down to between 6 and 10 per cent, the separation by means of asieve, of any coarser grains of potatoes from the resultant fine powder, the admixture of such coarser particles with potatoes in the stage following cooking and the completion of the treatment of the cooked potato with the coarser particles combined therewith.

6. The process of preparing potatoes in powdered form which includes all of the constituent elements of the potato other than water and which is capable of being converted into mashed potatoes by the simple addition of hot liquid thereto, which consists in' cooking potato pieces in an environment of steam evolved from the heating of the same, pro-drying the potato pieces in a current of air at about degrees C. and in the absence of mechanical pressurethereon until the weight of the potato mass shall have been reduced to about half of its initial weight, due to the loss of water, thereupon pieces to a temperature in the order of 10 degrees C., mechanically converting the same into a moist powder and finally drying the moist powder under moderate heat and vigorously stirring m vacuo until the water content of the powdered potatoes is down to about 12 to 15 per cent.

'7. The process of preparing potatoes in powdered form, which includes all of the'constituent cooling the potato elements of the potato other than water and which is capable of being converted into mashed potatoes by the simple addition of hot liquid, which process consists in cooking potato pieces in an environment of steam at a temperature of substantially 100 degrees 0., thereupon predrying the potato pieces-in the absence of mechanical pressure thereon until the initial weight of the potato mass has been reduced by about one-half due to the loss of water, cooling the potato mass, mechanically converting the same into a moist powder, drying the moist powder under moderate heat and stirring in vacuo until the water content of the powdered potatoes is down to about 12 to 15 per cent, collecting the potato powder thus prepared to a substantial bulk and continuing the heating thereof until the water content'is reduced to between 6 and 10 per cent.

8. The process of preparing potatoes in pow.

dered form which includes all of the constituent which process consists in cooking potato pieces in an environment of steam at a temperature of substantially 100 degrees C. and thereupon applying vacuum, while permitting the potatoes to cool until approximately 20 to 30 per cent of the original weight has been lost due to the evenoration of water, thereupon substantially cooling the potatoes and applying a higher vacuum for loss of approximately 25 per cent more of the original weight, cooling the potato mass, mechanically converting the same into a moist powder, dryingthe moist powder under moderate heat and vigorous-stirring in vacuo, until the water content of the powdered potatoes is down to about 12 to 15 per cent, and adding further potato mash after withdrawal of part of the substantially completely dried potato powder whereby, the moisture from the added potato mash will promptly spread throughout the dried powder and the said further drying under vigorous stirring takes place in a continuous process without gelatinization of the potato mass.

ZELMANAS voLPER'rAs. 

